Language Delays in Young Children

I am currently fixated on researches on learning disabilities, in particular, reading and language disorders, as these have a huge implication on the conduct of my work with young children. This entry in particular deals with language delays in children.

The usual response of people when they encounter a child of say, 2 or 3 years old, who has not yet learned how to speak is, "Oh, he/she will eventually outgrow that stage and learn to speak."

This response is more so pronounced when the child in question is a boy because traditional expectation is, boys learn language a little bit later in their toddler life compared to girls.

Because of this response, or general perception on language delay in children, some parents feel that they are being paranoid or over-reacting when they notice the smallest trace of language delay in their child. "Why is my son/daughter not yet talking?"

Well, parents, here is something you should know.

While it may be true that young children eventually outgrow this language delay, a research conducted by Dr. Leslie Rescorla, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Child Study Institute and Director of Early Childhood Programs at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, shows that children who are late talkers may have weaker language endowment. This means that those children who were late to talk pretty much eventually go to school but they have significantly less advanced language skills compared to their peers (from the same background) and that this pattern of weaker language skills was evident at age 5 and 6, during their 9 and 10th year, and through age 17.

What does this research imply?

At the onset, parents who notice a hint of language delay in their child can already provide some enrichment in the child's language environment early on. They can use techniques like shared book reading, or be taught focused stimulation or other communication techniques, and all these can provide a rich language environment that may have some facilitative effects.

If, by the age of 3, no significant growth is seen, direct intervention must be initiated together with a speech language pathologist, aka speech therapist. Now, here's the rub - there aren't too many speech therapists in the Philippines and if you find one, the waiting list of clients is usually very long.

So before you reach that stage of panic looking for a speech therapist, it is important to know that as early as possible, expressive language can be taught through gestures, sounds, vocalizations and words to help a child express his/her wishes or desires. Help your child improve his/her listening and to learn to recognize familiar words and phrases in their environment and to respond to them appropriately.

When a parent comes to me for help on reading and language intervention at the age of 10 years old, I just mentally shake my head.

Really, I cannot stress it hard enough, to READ, READ, READ out loud to your child. It really helps.


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If you want to listen to Dr. Rescorla's discussion of her study together with Dr. Rhea Paul, Professor Amerada at Southern Connecticut State University and Professor and Director of the Communication Disorder Section of the Developmental Disabilities Program at the Yale Child Studies Center, go to Episode 13 http://podcast.asha.org/ or http://asha.http.internapcdn.net/asha_vitalstream_com/podcast/ASHAPodcast13.mp3


For a copy of Dr. Rescorla's article Language and Hearing Outcomes in Late-Talking Toddlers, it is found in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 2009; 52: 16-30
http://jslhr.asha.org/cgi/content/full/52/1/16

I Have to Go

Potty Training is a serious business for parents with toddlers. It is the "last big hurdle of toddlerhood" (M. Kennedy, Last Straw Strategies, Barron's). At around 2 1/2 or 3 years of age, you decide that you've had enough of diapers and it's time to use that cute potty trainer that you've bought from the mall for your child. However, it's not as easy as it sounds. Pooping is a bodily function that you thought would always come naturally, but if your child is not yet ready for that 1st venture into the unknown called THE POTTY, he/she and her tummy can decide to go on strike, believe me. There goes constipation. Make sure you're stocked up on suppositories.

Is your child ready for potty training? Parents...are you ready?

A book I found useful to prepare my toddler waaay back then was this Sesame Street Toddler Book titled I Have to Go.










Little Grover was riding on his choo-choo train when suddenly, he feels something in his tummy and says, "I have to go." On his way back home, he passes by Little Big Bird, Little Ernie and Little Bert, Little Cookie Monster and Little Betty Lou. One by one, all of his friends would invite him to join in their games, and every time Little Grover would answer, "I have to go." His friends wondered, "...but Little Grover, where are you going?"

When Little Grover reaches his home and tells his mommy, "I have to go," Mommy immediately understands and leads him to the bathroom. And Little Grover went, all by himself.




Question-and answer was the tool I used to let my toddler (and students I have currently used this book with) get the concept of pooping and potty training across. What does Grover mean when he says "I have to go?" What is going on inside his tummy? Why does he need to sit on the potty? Why does he need to pull down his pants? Did he have a diaper? And so on, and so forth, letting the toddler answer for himself and understand the situation that Little Grover was in.

Of course it takes more than just a book to teach potty-training, but the visuals from a book, like blue Little Grover as well as discussing and making light of a situation that toddlers find embarrassing (when they have those 1st pooping accidents) can help prepare them for this task.

I still use this book with my pre-schooler from time to time when she finds it hard to poop due to constipation. Actually, she reads it inside the comfort room until you know what comes out.

Cloth Books or Board Books?

Parents sometimes ask me, which is better reading material for younger kids, cloth or board books?

Cloth books are made intentionally for the lower age range in children from 0-2 years; these are the infants. Children of this age do not yet have adequate strength to lift a board book or if they do, their psychomotor skills are not yet refined, hence, those board books might fall on their teeny-tiny toes. Cloth books provide an alternate "reading" material for infants. More than anything else, a cloth book's value lies in interactive play because it can have a variety of strings, rattles, pulleys for infants to busy themselves with. The different textures in the cloths used also make a cloth book interesting. Some pages can be soft, crinkly, rough or smooth.



You'll notice that these cloth books sometimes end up as chewing material for infants, so it's important to have them washed regularly as well as to check for any chokeable material on them. It may also be wise to check the cloth book brand for lead content levels in the inks they use.

Now for actual reading value, the difficulty is that page-turning, an important pre-reading skill that can be taught for this age group, may not be developed well for the users of cloth books, both for the lower and upper age range. Since the material is soft and wobbly, holding the book properly and turning its pages can be quite cumbersome. Much assistance is required from an adult.



Board books on the other hand are meant for the toddlers or those in the upper age range. Board books are sturdy, hence, they cannot be easily torn by those strong toddler hands. You will be surprised to find out that board books can be used to teach page-turning even for the infants because they are chunky. But do keep an eye on an infant with a board book because it might end up in his/her mouth. Board books, though sturdy, are still made of paper and again, lead content for inks and colors used are suspicious.

So which is better then, cloth or board books? With my experience with my children and the other kids I teach, I would personally veer towards board books but of course, it all depends on the child's interest. Try buying a few of both cloth and board books and see what your child likes. When it comes to beginning readers, my philosophy is, give them whatever they like.